Truancy

Refusal to attend school is understood to mean a recurring or prolonged and usually unexcused absence from class. School refusal often begins with hourly absences or occasional truancy and can go as far as completely denying school attendance.

Refusal to attend school can have very different causes, e.g. fear of performance failure, avoidance of social evaluations, lack of motivation to learn, disregard of rules and norms, general reluctance to go to school or mental illness. The reasons can also lie in the social environment, e.g. bullying or conflicts with classmates or teachers. In order to be able to react appropriately in individual cases, the respective reasons for the refusal must therefore be taken into account. Pupils often need to be motivated to attend school and require targeted school support. School measures are necessary here, which, in addition to sensitizing teachers, should include a high level of individual attention for the affected pupils.

All schools in Hesse receive advice and support in the event of school refusal from the responsible school psychologists at the state education authorities. If there are indications of neglect or child endangerment as a possible cause of absence from school, the schools cooperate closely with the youth welfare offices.

Every pupil is legally obliged to attend school regularly. Parents must ensure that underage pupils can participate in lessons without restrictions. Violations of compulsory schooling are generally treated as an administrative offence that can be punished with a fine or, in the case of pupils after the 14th birthday, alternatively with a charitable work requirement. In justified individual cases, the child or adolescent may also be forcibly taken to school. If parents permanently and persistently deprive their child of compulsory schooling, this can be punished with imprisonment of up to 6 months or with a fine of up to 180 daily rates. Before taking appropriate coercive measures, however, the school should first have exhausted all pedagogical measures.

In Hesse, the Ministry of Education and Cultural Affairs is responsible for the school system.